TOGETHER WITH

It’s Monday and if you’re fresh out of Bridgerton episodes, a new streaming service hopes you’ll consider generating your next binge-watch with AI.

#SHOPWITHPRIDE

TikTok’s Pride campaign has 2 main priorities: LGBTQIA+ visibility and ecommerce

The Shop campaign: TikTok is kicking off Pride with an ecommerce-fueled campaign. In addition to honoring impactful LGBTQIA+ creators like Zach Jelks and Kissy Duerré, the platform’s latest Visionary Voices roster spotlights several queer-led brands

• (Context Clue: TikTok’s Visionary Voices lists are often revealed at the start of cultural heritage months and feature creators who are making a difference in or as part of their communities.)
  
  

• TikTok’s new roster of queer-affiliated “Small-Owned Businesses” encompasses some big names, including Patrick Starrr’s ONE/SIZE. The makeup creator’s cosmetics company—which emphasizes Starrr’s commitment to inclusion—is among several brands participating in TikTok Shop’s #ShopWithPride campaign.
  
  

• According to a recent TikTok Newsroom post, that initiative will feature in-app activations, “immersive content from creators,” and “exclusive must-haves from brands that let shoppers unbox with pride.”

The safety initiatives: Ecommerce is only one facet of TikTok’s Pride celebrations. The app also plans to debut LGBTQIA+ festivities for gaming, fashion, and music creators, as well as new safety features and an Inclusion and Belonging guide designed to safeguard queer users.

Why it matters: TikTok’s commitment to supporting LGBTQIA+ creators has earned it plenty of goodwill among users (even if the app’s Shop initiatives aren’t entirely altruistic given its mission to expand ecommerce in the U.S.). Most recently, queer creators of color named TikTok as their top-trusted social platform.

• That sign of good faith will likely come in handy as TikTok attempts to defeat a “divest-or-ban law” in both the court of public opinion and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

🔆 SPONSORED 🔆

Explore the Cannes Lions 2024 Creator Pass: The first Cannes Lions program designed for the creator economy

In partnership with social-first marketing and talent agency Viral Nation, Cannes Lions is introducing The Creator Pass: an exclusive learning experience that will showcase the power of creator-led marketing—and your contributions as a creator—to the world’s biggest brands.

A taste of the talent and industry leaders taking the stage at Cannes Lions this year:

• Madeline Argy, Creator and Host, Pretty Lonesome Podcast

• Yara Shahidi, Actress and Producer

• Robyn Delmonte, The Internet’s Agent @girlbosstown

• Steven He, Actor & Comedy Sketch Creator

• Alexia Del Valle, TikTok Creator

Creators who take part in Cannes Lions’ revolutionary new programme will be invited to meet with marketing leaders at some of the world’s biggest brands and platforms—meaning you’ll have the opportunity to rub shoulders with executives at Netflix, TikTok, Amazon, Meta, Linktree, AB InBev, and other industry-leading companies.

Space is limited, so submit your application now:

Apply for The Creator Pass →

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• A report from Reuters claims that TikTok is splitting its code into two distinct bases: one for users in the United States, and another for the rest of the world. (Tubefilter)
  

• In 2024, one team was responsible for 100+ pieces of YouTube x Coachella promotional content. Their leader: Hunter Ellenbarger. (Tubefilter)
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• Donald Trump has followed Joe Biden’s lead by setting up a TikTok account ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. (TechCrunch)
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• Instagram is reportedly experimenting with “trial reels” that allow creators to test posts on non-followers before deciding whether or not to share them with existing fans. (TechCrunch)

COLUMNS • MILLIONAIRES 📈

This creator gives viewers an inside look at her digital diary

The Millionaire: Jasmin Acosta “always loved making content for fun”—but for a while, she never actually posted anything.

• Then COVID came around. With college classes on hold, the creator found herself drawn back to her childhood hobby. But this time, she hit the upload button—and reeled in 22 million views with a single video.
  
  

• Here’s a sneak peek at Acosta’s journey to becoming a TikTok Millionaire (plus a preview of her plans for cosmetology, YouTube, and more):

Tubefilter: How did you get into content?

Jasmin Acosta: “I would record little videos and never post them. Then, after I stopped going to college right when COVID hit, I just started posting a lot of videos with my family. There’s this one video that went viral with my dog and…alone gave me 100,000 followers.”

Tubefilter: Do you foresee yourself going into cosmetology as a full-time job and then doing content on the side?

Acosta: “I want to combine the two…I’m going to have my own studio, but in my studio, I have like this whole picture of having a TV in there for girls who want to just watch a show while they’re getting their hair done…I want to contribute doing social media with all of that, like recording me with my clients and their transformations.”

Tubefilter: I know you’re also looking to grow your YouTube channel a little bit more. What are your plans there?

Acosta: “I want to be doing a little bit of everything within the next year. Either posting beauty stuff, fashion stuff, and then also vlogs and challenges…I feel like I’m not one person that just sticks with one type of content.

Check out our full interview with Acosta here.

SAFETY SHAKEUP

Twitch is dropping all its Safety Advisory Council members—and replacing them with creators

The termination: Twitch is reshaping its Safety Advisory Council in a big way. Four years after forming the council to “enhance Twitch’s approach to issues of trust and safety,” the platform has reportedly terminated the contracts of all its original members. Among others, that group included Twitch partner streamers cupahnoodle, ferociouslysteph, and zizaran, moderators Doladdar and PonyNamedTony; and Cyberbullying Research Center co-director Dr. Sameer Hinduja.

• According to CNBC, Twitch initiated its Safety Advisory Council shakeup on May 6 by hosting a meeting to tell the members their contracts would be terminated by May 31.
  
  

• CNBC’s report also noted that Twitch will not be paying the former council members for the second half of 2024—a decision that will cost each member thousands of dollars. In total, CNBC’s sources say council members individually earned between $10,000 and $20,000 per 12-month period of service.

The replacements: Twitch’s next step: replacing its former council members with creators. A spokesperson for the platform confirmed that it is tapping “new council members to offer fresh, diverse perspectives” from among the 180 creators in its ambassador program. (Whether Twitch actually plans to pay those fresh candidates is unclear.)

The context: Twitch’s decision to center creator perspectives on safety may be disruptive, but it’s also smart business. Between several rounds of layoffs, a string of hugely unpopular policy changes, and losses to rivals like Kick, the platform has struggled to foster creator trust over the last few years.

• The Safety Advisory Council’s restructuring reflects Twitch’s recent attempts to recapture that faith under CEO Dan Clancy. Since coming aboard, the exec has made it a point to give creators the floor and own up to Twitch’s shortcomings.

LISTEN UP 🎙️

This week on the podcast…

The show: Creator Upload hosts Josh Cohen and Lauren Schnipper wrapped up May with a visit from a special guest: Viral Nation Chief Officer Nicholas Spiro. Tune into the full episode to discover how fresh tools like Viral Nation Secure and MrBeast’s ViewStats Pro are reshaping the creator economy.

• It’s all right here on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.